(First diary, so please be gentle)
There were a lot of stupid moments in Romney's "winning" performance. But I think the one that stands out the most to me is the egregious math mistake that he made, not once or twice, but (by my count) four times. (He only said it twice according to the transcript)
Responding to Obama's assertion that we can cut subsidies and tax benefits to oil companies, Romney said that corporate welfare to oil companies wasn't the $4B that Obama said, it was only $2.8B. And meanwhile, Obama had spent $90B to support green energy companies, "like 50 years worth of tax breaks" to the oil companies.
http://youtu.be/...
Reality math, 2.8 x 50 = 140
Romney math, 2.8 x 50 = 90
Show your work:
- 2.8 = 2; decimals are hard and therefore un-American!
- 50 is a big, confusing number. Try counting that high!
- 2 x 50 = somewhere in the range between 70 and 1000
- 90 is also a big, confusing number
- somewhere between 70-1000 = 90!
q.e.d.
Romney doesn't know how to multiply. Which might explain why he's having such a hard time with the basic arithmetic required to understand that it's not possible to cut taxes for the wealthy without adding to the deficit, cutting essential programs, and adding to the burden of the middle class.
Gonna add this, at the end of the debate Romney goes back to his green energy talking points.
Ninety billion (dollars) -- that -- that would have -- that would have hired 2 million teachers.
Mitt Romney announces new federal program to hire 2 million new teachers? No.
Mitt Romney announces that we could either have green energy jobs or teachers. And if we elect him President he wont give us either.